Setting Up a Surgical Guide Design Service (For Small Dental Labs)

This cookbook is written for small dental labs that already have some form of digital workflow and want to launch or standardize a surgical guide design service. It is practical, step‑by‑step, and based on how GuideMia’s platform is actually used in production.

This document focuses only on implant surgical guides. A separate cookbook will be created for clear aligners.

1. What You Need to Start

To operate a surgical guide design service, you need five fundamental components: software, collaboration, case management, manufacturing, and training/support.

A) Design Software (Lab Side)

• GuideMia Implant Master (Designer / Master Version)

• Used by your in-house designers or engineers

• Functions include:

  • CBCT/DICOM processing and anatomical segmentation

  • Implant planning with full control of depth, angulation, and prosthetic positioning

  • Restoration-driven workflows

  • Surgical guide design: tooth-level, tissue-level, bone-level, bone reduction guides, and combined workflows

  • Advanced guide types: full-arch, immediate placement, bone reduction, zygoma implants

  • Export of manufacturing-ready STL and restoration models

GuideMia Implant Master is part of an FDA/CE/ISO 13485–certified quality system, designed for clinical safety, traceability, and production use.

B) Planning & Review Software (Clinic / Doctor Side)

• GuideMia Implant Basic (Planner Version)

• Used by clinicians to:

  • Review implant positions

  • Adjust placement if needed

  • Lock and approve treatment plans

• Designed to be simple and fast (for example, single-unit planning can be completed in minutes)

C) Collaboration & Sharing Layer (Choose One)

You can operate using either of the following, depending on your business model:

• gTok → Lightweight 3D/4D collaboration and plan sharing

  • Interactive 3D model viewing

  • Snapshot, bookmark, and annotation functions

  • 4D playback for orthodontics (and multi-stage visualization for implants)

  • Highly compressed data sharing (often under 1 MB) for fast review

• DentalCase → Full online case management

  • Case submission portals for doctors

  • File upload (CBCT, scans, photos)

  • Status tracking, communication logs, and permanent archives

  • Built-in 3D viewer for review

  • Multi-role support (labs, clients, agents, user groups)

  • Public deployment at lab.clearaligner.ai

Important: gTok and DentalCase are two different venues.
gTok focuses on visualization and collaboration.
DentalCase focuses on operations, tracking, and business management.
They can be combined, but they are intentionally designed as separate systems.

D) Manufacturing Capability

• In-house 3D printing or an external printing partner

• GuideMia exports validated STL files and master models for:

  • Surgical guides

  • Bone reduction guides

  • Verification jigs

  • Restoration-driven models

E) Training, Support, and Services

• GuideMia Training: onboarding for designers and clinicians

• Workflow consulting: help labs define internal QA processes

• Technical support: case troubleshooting and software assistance

• Optional clinical review services: cases can be reviewed by qualified clinicians if required

For software licensing, service tiers, and pricing, refer to: 👉 https://ai.guidemia.com/pricing

2. What Types of Surgical Guide Cases You Can Offer

GuideMia supports a wide range of implant guide scenarios. For detailed case examples and visuals, refer to the surgical guide sections on your website.

Common case types include:

• Single‑unit implants

• Multiple‑unit implants

• Tooth extraction with immediate implant

• Full‑arch cases

• Bone reduction cases

• Zygoma implants

Start Simple First

When launching your service, it is strongly recommended that you:

• Begin with single‑unit and simple multi‑unit cases

• Build internal QA processes

• Gradually expand into full‑arch, bone reduction, and zygoma workflows

This reduces risk, improves turnaround time, and allows your team to standardize quality.

3. Who Uses What: Lab vs. Clinic

Lab Side

• Uses GuideMia Implant Master

• Responsible for:

  • Case analysis

  • Implant positioning

  • Guide design

  • Manufacturing preparation

Clinic / Doctor Side

• Uses GuideMia Implant Basic

• Responsible for:

  • Reviewing plans

  • Requesting modifications

  • Approving final designs

This role separation keeps design efficient while ensuring clinical responsibility remains with the doctor.

4. How Cases Enter the System

There are two supported operational models. Choose one based on how you want to run your business.

Model A — DentalCase (Full Case Management)

• Doctors submit cases through DentalCase

• Upload CBCT, intraoral scans, photos, prescriptions

• Track status, communication, and approvals

• Maintain a permanent archive

Model B — gTok (Direct Collaboration)

• Cases are exchanged directly through gTok

• Used primarily for:

  • 3D visualization

  • Plan discussion

  • Lightweight data sharing

Again: DentalCase = operations and case management
gTok = collaboration and visualization
They are distinct workflows and should not be confused.

5. The Surgical Guide Design Workflow

This section describes a typical lab workflow from submission to approval.

Step 1 — Case Submission

• Doctor submits case via DentalCase or shares data via gTok

• Data includes:

  • CBCT (DICOM)

  • Intraoral scans (STL)

  • Clinical photos

  • Prescription or instructions

Step 2 — Design in Implant Master

• Lab designer imports CBCT and scan data

• Performs:

  • Anatomical segmentation

  • Implant planning

  • Guide design

• Prepares plan for review

6. Three Tiers of Case Review & Collaboration

GuideMia supports three levels of review, allowing you to balance cost, speed, and detail.

Tier 1 — Report‑Based Review

What is shared:

• PDF or web report

• Screenshots

• Short review videos

Use case:

• Simple cases

• Fast approval

• Initial communication

Benefits:

• Very lightweight

• Easy for doctors to review

Tier 2 — 3D Composite Review

What is shared:

• A single 3D model containing:

  • Bone structure

  • Teeth

  • CT cross sections

  • Planned implants

How it is used:

• Uploaded to DentalCase for doctor review

• Or shared through gTok for interactive inspection

Benefits:

• Full spatial understanding

• Visual validation of implant position

• Still lightweight compared to full project files

Tier 3 — Full Project File Review

What is shared:

• Complete GuideMia project file

• Contains:

  • All segmentation

  • All planning data

  • Full design history

Challenges:

• Large file sizes

• Slower transfer

• Higher infrastructure cost

GuideMia’s approach: Instead of always exchanging full project files, GuideMia provides alternative sharing methods, including:

• Highly compressed plan packages (often less than 1 MB)

• Visualization‑only data streams

• Structured review artifacts

This allows high‑fidelity collaboration without the overhead of large data transfers.

7. Approval and Manufacturing

Step 3 — Clinical Approval

• Doctor reviews using Implant Basic

• Approves or requests changes

• All decisions are documented

Step 4 — Finalization

• Lab finalizes guide design in Implant Master

• Exports manufacturing files

Step 5 — Production

• Print in‑house or send to external manufacturer

• Deliver guide to clinic

8. Operating with gTok vs. DentalCase

When to Use DentalCase

• You want:

  • Formal case submission

  • Status tracking

  • Multi‑client management

  • Audit trails and archives

When to Use gTok

• You want:

  • Fast collaboration

  • Visual discussion of plans

  • Lightweight data sharing

  • Minimal operational overhead

Combining Them (Optional)

Some labs use:

• DentalCase for business operations

• gTok for technical collaboration

But they remain two separate systems with different purposes.

9. Best Practices for New Labs

• Start with simple cases (single‑unit, straightforward multi‑unit)

• Standardize:

  • Review checklists

  • Report formats

  • Approval criteria

• Introduce Tier 2 and Tier 3 workflows gradually

• Use lightweight sharing methods whenever possible

• Keep design and clinical responsibilities clearly separated

10. Next Steps

To begin setting up your surgical guide service:

1. Review software packages at: 👉 https://ai.guidemia.com/pricing

2. Define whether you will operate using:

   • DentalCase (case management)

   • gTok (collaboration)

3. Train designers on Implant Master

4. Onboard clinics with Implant Basic

5. Start with simple cases and scale gradually

GuideMia provides not just design tools, but the operational framework to help small labs build a professional, scalable surgical guide service.